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Best Burger Contest back for 2022
Annual Green Co. contest has 13 participating
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The 2021 winner of the Green County Beef Producer’s Best Burger Contest was Horseshoe Saloon with their Crunch Wrap Quesadilla Burger, a 1/2 lb. Hereford patty topped with bacon pico taco sauce, melted cheese and wrapped in a hard-shell tortilla. The winner of the annual contest receives the coveted golden spatula (left). Over 1,400 burgers were eaten during the 2021 contest, with 60 people trying all 13 entries. This year’s contest begins May 1 and runs until August.

MONROE — The battle of the burgers is back for 2022.

To the delight of the hungry and the adventurous, Green County Beef Producers is once again launching its annual best burger contest, which draws dozens of entries from local favorites restaurants and pubs.

Participants can pick up voting cards at their favorite establishment, bar or other participating restaurant. Then, entries are mailed in with the entry deadline of Aug. 9.  

To qualify, participants will need at least 7 or more stamps — meaning they’ve tried seven or more burgers — to participate, and 13 stamps to qualify for the Grand Prize, which this year includes a Weber grill. Other prizes include beef bundles and gift cards from local sponsors.

Taking the top prize in 2021 was Horseshoe Saloon of Monroe’s Quesadilla Crunch Wrap Burger. The second-place award went to Minhas Kitchens’ BTB (back to basics) burger. And Fibs’ North won third place with its Magic Mike burger.

Taking first in 2019 was Buggyworks’ We Curd You “LOVE” Bacon” Burger; second place went to Minhas Kitchen for its The Huber Burger; and third was won by Bullet’s Restaurant-Jameson Burger. The contest was postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. 

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the great food and have a little fun,” said Horseshoe Saloon’s Sam Laws, who is competing this year with a Philly Crunch Wrap Burger, which combines ½ pound of beef with a Philly steak sandwich in a tortilla wrap.

New to the contest this year is Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern, with its ‘Feel Good Burger” which is 1/3rd pound smash burger with locally raised beef, cheese, bacon from Hoesly’s Meats in New Glarus, heirloom tomatoes; and ‘Feel Good Sauce” which is described as a smokey-bacon mayonnaise preparation.

“We just started serving burgers so this is an opportunity for us to really get them out in front of people,” said Chris Soukup, one of the owners at Baumgartners.

Prize sponsors include Grede of Browntown, Hoesly Meats of New Glarus, Huschutt Show Cattle, McDermott’s Red Angus, Koning Maple Lane Event Center, and Avon Locker of Darlington.

The contest is a big regional draw for Monroe, says Nelli McDermott, co-chair of Green County Beef Producers. In years past, many have sampled all 13 entries, including a couple who came over from Beloit just to enjoy the locally raised beef.

“It promotes beef and hopefully promotes new members getting into our organization to raise beef as well,” she said. “It opens people’s eyes to all we have to offer in the community and everyone seems to really enjoy it.”